BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing for Ovarian Cancer

Ultima Vez Modificado: 17 de octubre del 2003

Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts," My mother had ovarian cancer at the age of 50, I am now 49 and of Jewish heritage. It seems that the genetic testing is no longer easily accessible. How would I go about getting genetic testing?

Stephen C. Rubin, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Health System, responds:

About 10% of all ovarian cancers occur as a result of an inherited condition mostly related to abnormalities in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which also increase the risk of breast cancer. You may indeed be a candidate for genetic testing, which is done by Myriad Genetics in Utah. This can be arranged through many doctors' offices or through cancer risk evaluation programs, such as the one we have here at the University of Pennsylvania.